Secret
by Music 21
Summary: What happens when you don't expect the unexpected? Can you keep your deepest, darkest secrets forever?
1. In the Apartment

**Title: Secret**

**_Note: This is my first time EVER to write a fanfic story so it's just right to say that my writing sucks.. Hahaha. If you finish reading, feel free to review. I'll take all your criticisms as compliments. If you think my story is a failure, please tell me why, because it can be a huge help to me.. But right now, ENJOY!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: In the Apartment<strong>

Sunlight hit Konoha Village. It was a very fine day for the villagers of Konoha, save for some. Crowds of people woke up early that day, especially children. It was the beginning of school this year.

Well, school is nothing but torture for Umino Iruka. He'd always hated going out of his apartment, just to go to the world of "boredom". The 14-year old genin got up from his bed a few minutes earlier than usual. He was reluctant about this. He didn't want to leave his apartment, NEVER.

"Why do I have to return to school anyway? Besides, I've learned enough to stand up for myself. I live alone!" Iruka said to himself. The scarred boy pulled a chair from the dining room and sat on it, hoping that he could still have some last-minute sleep. But before he could close his eyes and rest on his chair, he just came up with an idea to make a list of _something_. Iruka hurried up to pick his bag and grab his favorite notebook and pen, and just as he was about to sit on his chair (because of sheer excitement), he immediately wrote something in his notebook:

_Top 5 Reasons Why I should Go to School:_

He started brainstorming. The genin actually expected for a myriad of reasons to to pop out from his brain, but the only things that were on his mind were the most common reasons. They were the only things that he could think of, so he –just to fill his list with less effort- put them all down. He even added comments after each reason. Here it goes:

_1. To learn new things (Well yeah, whatever)_

_2. To have a job (Am I serious?)_

_3. To have lots of friends (I've got a point, exactly)_

_4. To have an EPIC future (yes, EPIC is the word)_

_5.. _

"Oh great.. What in the world am I doing?" He should have been preparing for school, but later then he just realized that what he was actually doing right now is plain stupid.

"I'm stupid..right?" He was wasting almost all of his time on this. That precious yet wasted time of his should have been used in preparing breakfast and taking a shower…wait, he doesn't have breakfast.

_Idiot! Don't you know you have school to go to? Now you have less time to hit the shower! You don't want to go to the Academy with a horrible body odor, do you? A complete moron! _Iruka thought.

He –without any hesitation- got up from his old dining chair and went straight to the bathroom. Taking a shower was the only thing on his mind when suddenly.. _he realized something.._

The scarred boy had already thought of four reasons on why he should return to the Academy this year, but there's still one more. Only then he realized that the number four reason got him curious..

"_..to have an EPIC future?" _

Sure, getting paid with huge amounts of money and getting a getting a good job would mean most of that, but something else was bothering him.

One question tickled his mind.

What _thing _from his future was he so anxious to have?

A career? No. Money? No. A bigger apartment? Well, he had been planning about it for years, that when he'd grow up, he will reconstruct his apartment and make it twice larger. But still, NO.

So what was it exactly?

A _partner_..

He didn't see that one coming. Finding someone to love especially at school is not easy. Love would mean hundreds or maybe thousands of challenges and heartbreak, but he didn't mind at all. As long as he will have the "one" for his bright future, then he will be happy about it.

At least there was one reason that convinced him to go to school. If it wasn't for that reason, then he would have just stayed in his apartment all day, or maybe, all week and recover some hours of sleep that he lacked.

Nothing's gonna stop Iruka from returning to school now, not even the additional hours of sleep that his bed had offered him.

There was only one thing on Iruka's mind now: To find a partner _(for the sake of his future)_ in school.

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><p><strong>This is my first time making a fanfic story, so please, review! If you want me to continue writing then write it on the review section. Thanks! :D<strong>


	2. Return to the Academy Part 1

_Note: Yes this is a KakaIru fanfic story, but I made Iruka still straight in this chapter because I want him to slowly develop through the whole story. Don't worry, I'll introduce Kakashi in the next 2 chapters.. :D_

_Another Note: This chapter was supposed to be bloody long, but I decided to split them into two sub-chapters. The next chapter will be called chapter 2 part 2, but I can change my mind. It depends._

_I actually got tired from endless typing.. Lol. Anyways, ENJOY! _

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Return to the Academy Part 1<strong>

"Can you please tell me why we have to come back to school again?"

"You and your teammates have been taking missions for the past 3 years already: you're good at it, but you're the only team that has less than one year of experience compared to others. You don't have all the necessary skills in combat yet, that's why you have to stay in school for a year. Even though you have successfully finished all of your Rank D and C missions, I can't assure you that your skills and abilities are fit for higher rank missions."

Ibiki spoke as if he was prepared for his answer. Although Iruka find it hard to accept the fact that they lack a year of training, he just can't help but agree with what his sensei has told him.

"Then why do we have to go back to that freaking Academy when you can train us instead?"

"I have work to do."

"For how long?"

"11 months exactly."

"What's your work about?"

"Top-secret."

"Is it a mission?"

"Secret."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because my boss told me so."

"Is Hokage-sama your boss?"

"_SECRET_."

"Well, okay."

It was almost a never-ending conversation. Ibiki thought it was going to take forever for Iruka to realize that no one else should know. He heaved an enormous sigh. Good thing Iruka didn't bother asking about his secret again.

The wind rushed on the narrow street of Konoha. Leaves were falling faster than usual. Iruka bit his lip. His impatience broke the long moment of silence.

"So you're basically trying to tell me that you can't train us for year because your boss gave you a secret work that would last for 11 months?"

"Exactly."

"Then why can't you tell me that secret? I'm your student, you know."

_This is seriously going to take forever. _Ibiki thought.

"We thought we wouldn't see you anymore, Iruka-chan."

"Ano-sa, Izumo-san."

"Yeah. We even prepared a funeral for you in case you don't come back to the team."

"You're kidding Kotetsu-san."

"So Ibiki-sensei, why are we going to school again?"

"Iruka can answer that for you, right Iruka?"

"Why can't you just tell them sensei?"

Without a response, their sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey sensei! Come back!"

But Ibiki didn't return.

Iruka tilted his head. He's left by his sensei with his teammates.

"Iruka-chan."

"What?"

"Tell us."

"Oh great."

The three of them walked their way to the Academy. Iruka's answer was supposed to be so incredibly short, but due to the "oh!"s and the "what?"s and the annoying questions about their sense's secret, he didn't have time to take a look at their class schedule in the lobby.

"We should force sensei in telling us his secret!"

"That's not good Izumo." The scarred boy spoke without looking at him.

"Of course it's not good. It's amazing! Talk about sensei falling into one of our traps. He will definitely spill his secret!" Kotetsu helped Izumo about their plan.

As a matter of fact, Kotetsu and Izumo were a year older than him, but their childish behavior made it actually less than obvious.

"What can you say about our plan, Iruka?"

Iruka didn't respond.

"Hey Ru-chan?"

Still no answer. Iruka was not moving at all.

"What's gotten into him?"

"Dunno. Maybe he's under a justu or something."

"Or maybe under a love technique!"

"Love technique? What in the world is that?"

"Oh Izumo. I can't believe that there would come a time when we wouldn't understand each other."

"Guess today's the time." Izumo burst out with laughter.

"Was that a joke?"

"You don't get me at all, do you?"

"Oh shut up."

Iruka wasn't paying attention to any of them. His eyes were fixed on someone else.

"Her."

"What, Iruka?"

"He said her."

"Who's her?"

"Ask him."

"Hey Iruka."

"What Kotetsu?" Now he's listening to them.

"Who are you looking at?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You said her."

"Did I just say that?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Izumo?"

"What?"

"I think Iruka's in _love."_

They reached their classroom on the end of the hallway. Iruka didn't know, at some point, that their classroom would be so much crowded.

"Hey there's Anko! And Asuma. Shizune's here too, but I thought she's too old for this?" Kotetsu spoke, looking at every heads of the people he mentioned in different locations of the room one at a time.

"Guy is over there! And so is Mizuki." Izumo added.

After a short moment of silence and looking for more familiar faces, something went clearly into Iruka's mind.

_Wait a minute! I thought we're the only team that lacked training! How come ALL of us are here!_

_Ibiki-sensei. I swear I'm gonna kill him when I see him. Liar._

But why would his sensei lie? The other question is, why would he bother lying to him when he would find out eventually? _He's hiding something from me again. _He thought.

He didn't make any sudden movements until a tall man came in, bringing a huge pile of folders and some files.

"Morning, class."

The room went silent. They all turned their heads on the man who was standing on the doorway.

"Well, let's not waste time. Everybody grab a seat. We're gonna start the class in a few minutes.

Without any response, everyone started to walk around the classroom, trying to find a seat. Iruka grabbed a chair behind Kotetsu's and Izumo's. He wanted to sit beside them, but Shizune has already occupied the last vacant one on their row.

"So, back to our topic earlier." Kotetsu turned his head towards Iruka.

"What topic?"

"Who's that girl who stole your heart?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah! Ru-chan has finally met the girl of his dreams! Now, can you tell us her name?"

"I have no idea on what you two are talking about." Iruka shifted his head to the right to give them a sign that he doesn't want to listen anymore, but he wasn't sure if they actually understood it at all.

His thoughts changed but right before he could speak again, Izumo spoke in a very cool voice.

"Oh yes you do." Iruka could sense that they're challenging him to spoil the truth. However, there's nothing he can do to turn the tables, except maybe ignore them until class starts.

"Prove it." That was the only thing that he could come up with. _Crap. _

"You were staring at someone in the hallway earlier, and you mentioned the word "her". Am I right Kotetsu-san?

"My thoughts exactly." Kotetsu's smirk made Iruka blush. His face was turning deep red. _This is even worse than crap._

"Who's blushing now?"

"Hey stop it you guys! You're invading my privacy!" The scarred boy looked away from the other two. He didn't want to talk to them for now. He heaved a small sigh. _Now they've found out. At least, they haven't seen her yet. _He was not sure what to think about right now- a tentative answer to why his sensei lied, or when he will see that girl again.

"Is this seat taken?'

Iruka tilted his head to look at the person standing on his left. _It's her. Oh no. What am I going to say! Think Iruka, quickly!_

"Uuum..Uuuh..Ye..Ahh..Ohh..Uh..Umm." He was stuttering. He can feel the insides of his stomach burning to death. Once again, the girl spoke.

"Can I sit here?"

_What are you doing Iruka! Speak up! _He couldn't find the words to say. His face was turning dark scarlet. His knees are shaking. Every bit inside his body stopped moving, except for his heart- wait, it's beating very fast.

"Yes you can." The genin sighed. Someone else answered for him. He turned his head, searching for his savior.

"Good thing we're here, right, Iruka?" Kotetsu said.

"Thanks a lot." Sure it was a good thing that they were there, so they can hear them.

_Wait a minute! They heard us! _"You were listening the whole time?" He whispered behind their backs. Although it was actually much louder than a normal whisper, he still thought that nobody else seemed to hear it.

"Oh so she's your crush then?"

"Wait, nooo…what?"

"Then why in the world did you get nervous all of a sudden?"

'I..uhh..well, that.."

"Got ya." Kotetsu smirked again. Iruka was actually planning on killing both of them after school; but instead, he returned to his chair and gave one last look on the girl who was sitting beside him.

He bit his lip. _I think I'm going to faint._

"Morning." Everyone in the room stopped talking for a while. They stared at their teacher, walking towards the desk infront of the board. Iruka kept on taking glances on the girl at his left. Then, he looked back at the tall man standing in front of all of them.

"I'm Nurema Takato, jounin. I'm gonna be your teacher for a year." Iruka was a bit of surprised that their teacher would be so calm. He quite expected him to be like the other previous teachers- very active and vibrant.

"Many of you might be wondering why you've all been summoned to return here in the Academy." Takato spoke again. Half of the class reacted.

"Hokage-sama has declared last week that all teams with shinobi aged from 13 to 18 regardless of position must report back here in the Academy for one year of intense combat training."

Still, half of them only reacted. The word 'intense' made Iruka groan.

"Intense combat training for what?" Anko quickly inserted in the middle of the Takato's discussion while raising her hand.

"The Third Hokage has said that in the next 12 months there will be a Worldwide Shinobi Competition. Villages from different countries will participate in this centennial competition, and we are the host for next year's event." Mixed reactions from the students stirred in the atmosphere. There were sounds of amusement, cheer, anger, disappointment and excitement.

"What happens when we fail the contest?" Asuma asked, standing from his wooden chair.

'A do-or-die penalty will take place."

The room went fully silent. Iruka felt his fingers shaking. He was terribly afraid. Will he pass? The scarred boy doesn't know. How will he pass? That's the real question. The Do-or-die penalty was the most frightening part. Actually, it was the only frightening part. He was freezing. He can feel the shivers down his spine.

The school bell rang.

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><p>Liked it? Hated it? Feel free to review! The next chapter is a sub-chapter entitled, "Return to the Academy Part 2". It will be quickly followed by another chapter.. See you next time!<p> 


	3. Return to the Academy Part 2

****Sorry for the long wait, but here goes the third chapter! Hope you'll enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Return to the Academy Part 2<strong>

"Give it a rest Iruka-chan. We still have one year of training before the contest. We can do this!" Kotetsu pat him on his shoulder and it seemed to lighten him up. Then he took note that he was just trying to cheer him up, which he didn't care about the most anymore.

"Yeah, we still have one year left before they shred us to pieces." Izumo laughed. Kotetsu joined in by smirking. "You're not helping Izu."

_Well, your cheer-me-up idea failed to help me too…at some point I guess. _The genin thought. A short deafening sound echoed on the walls of the corridor and it made Iruka jump. "What now, Iruka?"

"I think I heard something loud. Did you guys hear it too?" Izumo and Kotetsu shot him with looks of disbelief. It sure annoyed him. "Oh nevermind."

"Well, back to our topic earlier. I was just joking about it 'ya know. Why don't we have fun this year before the competition starts? As I remember, _All training and no fun makes a ninja dull._" They were standing near main hall now.

"Sounds great to me. What about you, Ru-chan?" Izumo and Kotetsu stared at Iruka for a couple of seconds before looking at each other. Soon they found out that he wasn't paying to their conversation anymore.

"He's daydreaming again."

"What?"

"Remember earlier, before class?"

"Oh. I almost forgot." Both of them grinned.

They looked at each other again, nodding their heads at the same time. _They're up to something._ The brunette thought. But he didn't care about that one either. His mind is perfectly set only for the girl who just became his permanent seatmate in class.

"Hey Izu. I just saw a pretty girl earlier in class. She's our classmate too." Kotetsu said.

"Yeah? How pretty is she?" Izumo responded.

"As pretty as that leading lady on the porn movie we watched last night." Izumo and Kotetsu laughed. The only odd thing that Iruka noticed was that both of them were smiling all the time, since the start of their conversation. They did it several times before. Whenever they plan on tricking or pulling a prank on Iruka, they would nod at each other and grin all the time, although evilly. Iruka had had enough of this. He prepared for anything that they would do to him now. However, he just can't help being distracted by the beautiful face of his crush that his mind recreated for him.

_Wait a minute.. I think I know the girl they're talking about. If only I listened earlier.. _He was being attentive to their topic right now, but didn't bother joining in the conversation.

"So, how did you meet her exactly?"

"Actually it was not 'me' who met her at class first. It was _someone else"_. The brunette noticed the other two smiling again, but widely." _What are they seriously up to now!"_

"But I told her to take a seat behind us." Now _this _made Iruka more curious.

"And I know her name."

This is it. Iruka can feel the excitement ticking all over his whole body. He's going to know who she is. He can't wait any longer. _Hurry up Kotetsu and say her freaking name!_

"Her name is…"

_Faster Kotetsu or I'll do the do-or-die penalty to you!_ His hands are shaking due to the overwhelming excitement.

"Her...name…...is…."

"Yes? Izumo added. He was having fun with this now.

_Kotetsu please! Tell me NOW! _He's trying to hold himself, but his inner Ru can't wait any longer.

"Oh. I forgot her name. Oooops. My bad."

"That's okay Kotet-

"KOTETSU! IZUMO! JUST TELL ME HER NAME OR I'LL STRANGLE BOTH OF YOU TO DEATH!" he exclaimed.

Right after his oh-great-what-incredibly-loud-sound-was-that shout Izumo and Kotetsu jumped with laughter.

"That's what you get for not paying attention to us earlier!" Izumo snorted out with even much more laughter.

"Just tell me already!" Iruka snorted. He was sure everyone in the hallway have heard his oh-great-what-incredibly-loud-sound-was-that shout, but he didn't seem to care at all.

"Okay. Okay. Fine. Sheesh. Talk about being impatient. She's Kurenai. Are ya happy now?"

"Yeah I guess so. Thanks a lot. So she's Kurenai.. hmmm.."

"Hey dude, seriously? She's waaaay too old for you!" Izumo couldn't help but say it to him now.

"Are you trying to tell me that I should stop admiring her?" He looked at them with a curious look on his face.

"Well duh, obviously! That's why we didn't want to tell you her name in the first place. We only did that because we thought you might get upset for not knowing who she is. We know how terrible you are at approaching women." Kotetsu responded.

"Hey, I'm not terrible at talking to girls!" They raised each of their eyebrows at him, showing their complete disbelief to what he just said. "Well, fine, just a bit. But hey, age doesn't matter! Besides, who are you to stop me from liking someone?"

"Your best friends!'

"Yeah I know. But you just can't tell me what to do. I'm independent you know." Iruka defended. Looks of utter disbelief were thrown at him again. Soon he understood what they mean. "Okay! Okay! I can get clumsy and dependent at some times, but that doesn't mean I can't change, right? Just stop looking at me like that! It vexes me."

"Iruka, we don't want you to suffer heartbreak just because of her. We're worried that you might do something lovely but stupid to hurt yourself."

"And what makes you prove the point that I might not get anything from love but only pain?"

"_SECRET."_

"Hey Kotetsu! You're hiding something from me! And you know about this Izumo-san?" He raised his voice. Izumo didn't reply, but the genin took his silence for a 'yes'".

"You two have been hiding something behind my back? Why can't you just tell me? I'm your teammate, your best friend." Iruka tried hard but his plead was denied by Kotetsu and Izumo's I-won't-share-anything silence.

"Fine. It doesn't matter to me anymore. If you can't share me about your experience with love then I'll respect that. I just can't betray you, right?"

"Yup." Both boys answered.

Now Iruka was annoyed that both of them only replied to his question just because he already gave up on trying to find out their secret.

"Actually, I wanted to say something to both of you."

"What is it?" Kotetsu was the first to ask because he was more of a curious type.

"Earlier this morning before going to school I made a list of reasons on why I should return to the academy to motivate myself. The fifth one was to find a partner for a lifetime. I know I've been living by myself since I was a kid, but I can't afford being alone when I grow up. I need someone to sleep with, to eat with, to cuddle with, and to form love with. And that's why I have been searching early here in the Academy now to prepare for the future." Iruka talked like he was very desperate in finding somebody to love. He's been waiting for this all along.

"Oh, so what are you going to do to your crush then?" This time, Izumo was the one who asked.

"Well, I've been thinking about that ever since we got out of the classroom."

"So what is it?"

"I'm gonna stalk her."

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><p>Was it worth the wait? Please review so I would know!<p>

Next chapter: Stalking


	4. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey guys! It's been a very, very long time since the last chapter came out. I've been busy with my last year in high school because I had to maintain my honor rank. Now that summer's here I was thinking of posting the new chapter but I really need your full support by commenting and liking my story. You can also share this story to your friends. Thank you! That would really mean a lot to me. The new chapter is in my hands. I just need your cooperation to motivate me in uploading this one. Arigato! :D


	5. Stalking

_Author's Note: It's been a year since the last chapter came out! I hope you all read my previous note. Now the story's back and I'm having fresh ideas! Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Stalking<strong>

Iruka has been stalking his _crush _for a while now. It took him six weeks to find out that Kurenai is a sweet and fragile girl who shows fervent interest on bad boys.

He left out a small groan. _If she wants a bad boy, I'll show her one_.

Wearing a black leather jacket with a plain white t-shirt inside and dark skinny jeans, the brunette took slow, weird steps towards the girl of her dreams in the middle of the school courtyard.

_I wonder if she'll like my new look. She should. Like seriously. I spent most of my savings for this. I only have one shot. _Iruka gulped. This was the first time he was going to do something heroic for his imaginary band of nerds.

_This is it._

_This is for them. _

'Oh shut up Iruka, you're overreacting.' He thought.

_It's easy for you to say. She's like the most popular girl in the Academy! _Inner Iruka snapped.

Sweat quickly covered his face as hundreds of eyes were staring at him. He can hear giggles all over the place as he wipes the drool off his chin. Iruka was drooling the whole time during his walk. His cheeks went scarlet red.

To his right was a group of boys who waved their hands for encouragement and saluted him for his act of bravery, something not all boys in his school can do. Some mouthed him _Good luck _while others stared at him in awe. They seemed to get the idea of what he was about to do.

_This is for them. _Inner Iruka repeated.

Shortly after all those dramatic moments from his schoolmates he finally reached to his destination point.

_It's like going to hell. I think I should go back. _

But he knew he can't do that anymore. Kurenai was looking at him, staring in fact. Crimson red eyes buried into his dark ones.

_Oh no. I think I'm going to explode. _

"Hi Iruka." Kurenai said as she formed a wide smile on her face.

'She said hi to me! She also said my name!' _ I'm definitely going to explode._

"What do you want?" She asked in a light-hearted tone. Iruka's heart melted when he heard her in that voice.

_What do I want? It's obvious, isn't it? I want you. We were destined for each other. I love you Kurenai! _

"Iruka?" She asked again. There was concern in her voice.

_Oh shoots! I've been daydreaming in front of her! What the hell am I thinking? _

It didn't take seconds for his face to turn bright red. 'Is it normal for boys to blush like this?'

"Um..um..I..I." _Did I just stutter? I can't believe it!_

After a series of stuttering and blushing Iruka finally gained courage as he let out three short words from his mouth.

"I love you."

And there it was.

Silence filled the crowd. Stares of excitement and curiosity gathered around the area. Nobody dared to move their eyes away from the scene. They were all waiting for her reply. It was all getting intense.

"I'm sorry Iruka but-"

"Kurenai?"

The loud voice came out of nowhere, until suddenly, a tall guy with white shirt and black pants walked through the large audience.

"What's with all these people around here?"

Iruka stood still. His eyes were still locked on Kurenai's. His breathing went hard. 'Who could that guy be?'

For a short moment the tall figure stood behind her.

_It's Asuma. _

He patted her on the shoulder, saying "It's time to go babe."

_Babe. _

_Did he just call her-?_

"I'm sorry Iruka." That was her reply.

The couple left him in the middle of the scene until they were out of sight. The crowd was decreasing. He could hear worried voices surrounding him with pity. Tears were slowly pouring out from his wet eyes. And then he realized..

_It's all over. _

"Ru-chan!"

"Iruka!"

"We're sorry we weren't there to accompany you. We're late and the crowd was too thick!" Kotetsu explained.

Kotetsu and Izumo hurried off to get him. Without saying another word, they helped their hopeless friend walk back to the hallway so he could pour out everything that he felt during that tragic moment.

When they got to the empty hallway Iruka dropped his body on the floor and told his friends he wanted to be alone for a moment.

Knowing they can't argue with him about it now that he's feeling so emotional they waved him goodbye.

Iruka was finally alone.

Now he can cry for a few hours before he heads back to meet his friends.

_Kurenai._

The thoughts of her drifted across his mind as more and more tears splashed on the solid ground.

_What did I do to deserve this? I got friendzoned. Now I won't be able to fulfill my dream. _

"Don't worry, Iruka. There are more girls out there who are interested in you." He told himself.

Nobody else could cheer him up except for himself. Kotetsu and Izumo might be his best friends, but he can still feel that invisible wall separating him from them. They're another story_. _

"It's socially unhealthy when you're talking to yourself, you know? Especially when you make it a habit." A cold, blunt voice spoke near him, causing him to jump from the floor.

"Who are you?!" The brunette yelled in astonishment.

A boy, three inches taller than Iruka stood before him. He was wearing an eye patch that covered his left eye and a dark mask that hid the lower half of his face. He has grey hair and a dull right eye that scanned his body from head to toe.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. Nice to meet you."

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><p><strong>Next chapter: Kakashi. Now the real yaoi story starts here. *Inserts evil grin.<strong>


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